Being pretty new to the world of ADRs, I did a lot of reading on the boards when planning my trip. Over and over I saw people asking if they should take the DDP or TiW, with the advice always being that it depends on how you like to eat. While I agree with that advice, I thought it might be helpful to some people if I ran thought a few numbers to see how this trip with TiW compared to the DDP. I have excluded Victoria & Albert's from this analysis, since it will no longer be eligible for TiW later this year. If I had taken the regular DDP I would have had 9 TS credits, 9 CS credits, and 9 snack credits. While the refillable mug is also a perk of the dining plan, it doesn't have any value for me as I don't drink pop. The cost of the DDP was $60.04 per day x 9 = $540.36 Excluding V&A's, I ate 16 TS credits, 6 CS credits & 11 snacks. I went through all of the meals and calculated the cost for items covered by DDP assuming 1 entree+ 1 dessert + 1 nonalcoholic beverage or 1 breakfast entree + beverage (excluding tax & tip) for these meals and it was $521.08, or just slightly $20 cheaper than 9/9/9 credits I would have had under the DDP. In addition, I had $245.94 in food expenses not covered by the DDP, including appetizers, alcohol, Tea @ Grand Floridian, Lunch at AMC Fork & Screen, and Spice Road Table. My worst value towards the dining plan was California Grill- it would have cost me 2 table service credits, but since I only ordered Sushi, I counted 1 sushi order towards the DDP as an entree and the remainder OOP, leading to $50 in OOP costs for that meal. To contrast, items not covered by TiW included some snacks, some CS meals, Lunch at AMC Fork & Screen, and Spice Road Table. Food items not covered by TiW totaled $124.52. Based on how I ate on this trip, TiW was the clear winner. I was able to get more TS for less money than if I had paid for the DDP, and more of my food choices were eligible for TiW discount than DDP. This was not a free dining period, so I don't know how DDP +OOP at rack rate would have compared with room-only discount + TiW.
It was Ohana time! I was really looking forward to eating here for the first time, as it has such as following. After checking in, I headed to the Tambu Lounge to try the signature drink: The Lapu Lapu
This was delicious and had a good strong kick to it. Besides, who doesn't love a drink in a pineapple?
TiW saved $2.70 on this drink.
After about 15 minutes I was seated in the dining room and the experience began. You've probably seen these photos a million times, but here they are again.
This bread was delicious! I wish I could have smuggled some of it out with me.
The salad was good, but not amazing.
Since I was dining alone, I got my own appetizer combo plate. I loved everything on this plate! The sauce on the wings was very flavorful, and the fact that the wings weren't crispy didn't bother me at all. The potstickers were delicious, the vegetables lightly seasoned and still slightly crunchy, and the noodles were surprising as they were slightly sweet, but provided a nice contrast to the other savory items.
The skewered meats were mostly disappointing after a great start. The shrimp were really tasty, the steak was fine, and both the chicken and shrimp were dry and almost inedible.
The worst part of the night: dessert. I honestly don't know how this happened- I love pineapple, coconut, bread pudding, and caramel, so this dessert should have been right up my alley. Instead, it was mushy and all of the individual flavors were drowned by the artificially sweet tasting, runny, caramel sauce.
I would take the bread, the starters, and the shrimp, and leave the rest for someone else. But I'm really glad I got the chance to see and taste what everyone was talking about.
I saved $7.60 on dinner with Tables in Wonderland. Total savings $121.94.
This day was supposed to be my Animal Kingdom day, but after another late night the previous night, I just wasn't feeling up to a rope drop arrival, and decided to change plans and do some shopping! The weather had taken a turn for the cold (low 50s with a very damp cold wind) after the first few days I was there, and I was quite frankly sick of wearing the same fleece and jeans everyday.
So I slept in a bit and then headed out to Downtown Disney. I had been toying with the idea of seeing a movie, and decided that I just couldn't resist seeing Saving Mr. Banks again, this time IN Disney, and thought that I'd try out the dine-in option at the movie theater.
There are two entrances to the AMC theater at Downtown Disney. The one that is on the "main drag" by Splitsville and the waterfront is the regular theater. The one that is over closer to the parking lot is the entrance for the dine-in theater. Once I had figured that out, it was easy. You choose your seat when you buy your ticket, and then a server drops by to take your order, deliver your food, and your bill after you are seated. There is a call button if you want something anytime. Here's a link to the menu that is offered: http://dinein.amctheatres.com/menu
Just for the novelty, I ordered a drink to start.
This is the Crisp Apple Splash: Vodka, Sour Apple Pucker, and fruit juices. It was delicious, and went down very easily.
The Bistro Mac & Cheese: Mac & Cheese with Bacon, Sliced Grilled Chicken, and Breadcrumbs. This really hit the spot- warm, creamy comfort food that helped me forget the cold for a bit.
No Tables in Wonderland discount on this one, but if you are a AMC Stubs rewards club member, your food and alcohol purchases do count towards rewards.
And yes, Saving Mr. Banks was just as good the third time, made just a bit more special by seeing it at Disney.
I really like the concept of the Fork & Screen, but for me, I was glad I saw a movie I had already seen while doing it. Having the server check in with me during the movie and paying during the movie were a little bit distracting, and I can see how it might be annoying if I was really into the movie I was watching for the first time. The chairs were extra comfy, more like a recliner than a movie theater seat, which was a plus.
I was really looking forward to this experience, as it isn't something that I would ever get to do when traveling to Disney with my family. The location of the tea room means that you get to enjoy the band and pianist that take turns playing, which added an extra lovely touch to the experience.
Finally- a menu picture
I chose the Mad Hatter blend for my tea, and selected the Grand Tea as my overall choice. I don't eat salmon, so I asked to have that sandwich substituted with one of the other choices, and there were no issues.
The curry chicken ended up being my favorite of the tea sandwiches, so I was glad that I ended up with two after declining the salmon. The onion tart was also a favorite- the onions were sweet and jam-like, and the tart had a nice crunchy shell without being too hard.
Tea, leaf strainer, and glass of sparkling wine. One thing I didn't like about this experience was that the tea leaves basically dissolved. It was lucky for me because I forgot to use the strainer, but I expect there to be visible evidence of tea leaves when having an experience like this. This meant that if I wanted more tea, I couldn't just ask for additional hot water, and thus, must pay OOP for another pot.
Since I was on my own, the one pot of tea was more than sufficient, but for those going with a larger group, this is a limitation you may want to be aware of.
Strawberry Jam Tart & Scone with Strawberry Jam, Clotted Cream & Lemon Curd.
The scone with cream and curd was my favorite- the jam tart was just a little too sweet for my preference.
Strawberries & Cream. I fully intended to order the trifle, but it was bananas foster, and after the Ohana bananas foster sauce didn't go over so well, I decided to switch to the berries. This was delicious, if a smaller sized portion than the photo makes it look like it is.
What did I think of afternoon tea? I found the experience very calming and soothing- a nice break from the hectic pace that I can fall into at the parks. Overall I thought the food was good, and the tea blend I chose was delicious. I was pleasantly full and didn't need a snack before my 9pm dinner reservation. However, after having the pleasure of afternoon tea in London a few years ago, this experience wasn't as good. The staff attentiveness wasn't there, and many items were good but not great. I would go back with the right group of people, but I wouldn't consider this a must-do.
With Tables in Wonderland I saved $7.00, bringing the total TiW savings to $128.94.
This meal also marked a turning point in my trip. The first half had been wonderful and magical, but after I finished tea, things started to unravel a bit. Keep following to learn more!
After my delightful & relaxing tea, I decided to hang out and listen to the music in the lobby of the Grand Floridian, while waiting for the resort monorail to go back into service. (This was in January where it was down in the middle of the day for maintenance). While waiting, my phone rang, and it was my boss.
He quickly apologized for calling me while on vacation, but needed to let me know that there would be an announcement the following day at work that the department was being reorganized and he wanted to let me know how it would impact me.I would be changing departments and bosses, but my job would remain mostly the same and I was not being laid off.
I thanked him for letting me know and hung up, but the delightful feeling of relaxation and calm I had achieved after going to tea had fled.
Still, I carried on with my plan to head back to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours before my 9 pm reservation at California Grill. Alas, my day was going to continue to get worse. Focusing on rides with minimal waits, I found myself at the Carousel. I foolishly chose a horse on the outside who was at the top of the arc, and when I tried to get on it, felt a pop like a balloon bursting on the lateral side of my left knee.
I hung, half on half off, the horse, and then decided to try to get down and see if I could put any weight on it. I could, but it was painful. I hobbled off the ride before it started, and started slowly limping my way towards the front of the park. The more I walked, the better it started to feel, so I decided to keep my dinner reservation, then return to my room to RICE it and see how things were feeling.
I managed to find the check-in desk, and again shared the reason for my visit when asked about my I'm Celebrating button. I was being taken up in the elevator when my buzzer went off that my table was ready- so that was quite quick! I was seated in a room that faced towards where Wilderness Lodge is- very quiet and since Wishes was over, it didn't bother me that I wasn't facing towards the Magic Kingdom. I did have a great view of the Water Pageant.
After being seated, a CM came by and said that Tinkerbell had told her that I was celebrating being cancer-free, and wanted me to have some pixie dust, so sprinkled the table with the Mickey Confetti. That was fun, and since the room I was in was so quiet, it sparked conversation with the tables on both sides of me. We had a lovely chat- several of them had had cancer as well, and it was fun to celebrate with people who really understood.
Bread service: Sourdough and lavender foccacia. The foccacia was the better of the two.
Since I had been hearing mixed reviews about California Grill since it opened, I decided to go for what people seemed to agree was still delicious: Sushi
The Spicy Kazan roll. I loved how they put the fireball sauce in the middle, so you could get as much or as little as you wanted. I don't like really spicy foods, and this was delicious. Also, the crunchy flakes added a nice texture contrast.
The California Combination roll. This wasn't at all what I was expecting- I was expecting one roll that combined the California roll ingredients with the Shrimp Tempura roll ingredients. Instead you got two separate rolls. Whatever was in the orange dipping sauce was amazing- it was a highlight, but the rest of the plate was nothing more than I could get at any of my local sushi restaurants.
The Pork Belly Nigri. I had really been looking forward to this one, and the flavors did not disappoint. However the pork was lukewarm and the amount of pork was so much larger than the rice, it was difficult to eat. I think it would have been better if it had just been placed on top of a rice mound, where the shape of the pork could have better matched the shape of the rice.
My server was really great with this- I had been asking about how large the portions were when deciding to order, and he said that he could put each item in separately, so that if I got too full, I wouldn't be charged for all 3 sushi items. I was a little worried that doing this would make service too slow, but thought it was a good idea, and didn't really notice that the service was any slower than a normal restaurant of this quality would be.
I did ask for the dessert menu, when a complementary creme brulee appeared. This was delicious and made me feel very special, although too full to order a second dessert. Sorry seasonal apple dessert- you sounded amazing, but it just wasn't going to happen.
When the server brought the bill, to my surprise, it was missing my glass of wine I had ordered. When I called him over to ask about it, he mentioned that the couple who had been at the table at my right had paid for it. OMG, whatfrom kind fellow travelers. They had finished their meal and left before I found out about this kind gift, so I couldn't even say thank you. But just in case they are on the DIS, THANK YOU so much!
With Tables in Wonderland, I saved $14.40 on this meal, bringing the TiW total to $143.34.
I loved everything about the California Grill, except the prices. I guess I am spoiled to have an amazing sushi place close to home where I can get the same quality of sushi on an AYCTE lunch buffet for $15. While the sushi was all very delicious, I think I would want to order something different in the future to feel like I'm getting a better value for my money.
As I made my way back to the resort monorail, to MK, and then grabbed the bus back to POP, my knee was still hurting. I quickly decided to cancel the following day's ADRs so that if resting & icing overnight didn't help, I wouldn't be charged as a no-show while I tried to get into a doctor. My planned meals were 1900 Park Faire for breakfast with Mary Poppins, and dinner at Le Cellier.In the next update, I'll talk about whether this was a good decision or a bad decision.
Cancelling my 1900 Park Faire Breakfast had been the right move, as I wasn't even seen at the Urgent Care for 2 hours after I had arrived- there would have been no way to make that breakfast and I was really concerned about my pain level. Cancelling my dinner at Le Cellier, on the other hand, had been a mistake. By the time I realized that I would be OK enough to make it out to EPCOT for dinner, I couldn't get a new ADR for Le Cellier. However, I was able to make a same-day ADR for Chefs de France as a replacement.
Then when I headed out of the room, I realized that making any ADR at EPCOT World Showcase was stupid, as I would have to walk all the way to the back of the park. So instead I took the bus to Hollywood Studios and the boat to the International Gateway, so I wouldn't have to walk so far.
Fresh Baguette. YUM!
The Assiette Campagnarde- the charcuterie plate. I didn't write down the names, but I remember that the garlic sausage was particularly good, and the cornichon pickles were a perfect crisp bite to contrast with the pate and other meats.
Next I had the Gratin du Macaroni, of which I don't have a picture, because that was the time that my phone started ringing off the hook as friends from work were calling to see if I'd heard the news and what did I think about the reorganization and how it affected me. I can report that the dish was very creamy and cheesy, and the slight nutmeg flavor helped to give a nice contrast to the richness.
I did order dessert, although I couldn't finish it.
The assiette du sorbets du jour. The sorbets of the day- one was mango, one was coconut, and I don't recall the third. They were all delicious and a nice light way to finish the meal after the heavy gratin du macaroni.
With Tables in Wonderland, I saved $12.39 on this meal, bringing the total TiW savings to $159.49.
I really liked Chefs de France, and would dine there again.
Back again to Everything Pop, as I really needed some more RICEing of my knee, and so grabbed dinner to go and ate back in my room.
Pepperoni Pizza Bread. This is supposed to come with a Caesar salad, which I didn't get, so got a price reduction. This hit the spot- crunchy bread and yummy pepperoni and cheese. Perfect comfort food.
Make your own sundae. This was giant! I made a faux turtle sundae with caramel & hot fudge and nuts. This also really hit the spot. It wasn't glamorous, or the most delicious thing I've ever eaten, but it was very well done basics.
And, the TiW discount! I saved $2.88 on this meal and total savings were now up to $162.37.
Being pretty new to the world of ADRs, I did a lot of reading on the boards when planning my trip. Over and over I saw people asking if they should take the DDP or TiW, with the advice always being that it depends on how you like to eat.
While I agree with that advice, I thought it might be helpful to some people if I ran thought a few numbers to see how this trip with TiW compared to the DDP. I have excluded Victoria & Albert's from this analysis, since it will no longer be eligible for TiW later this year.
If I had taken the regular DDP I would have had 9 TS credits, 9 CS credits, and 9 snack credits. While the refillable mug is also a perk of the dining plan, it doesn't have any value for me as I don't drink pop. The cost of the DDP was $60.04 per day x 9 = $540.36
Excluding V&A's, I ate 16 TS credits, 6 CS credits & 11 snacks. I went through all of the meals and calculated the cost for items covered by DDP assuming 1 entree+ 1 dessert + 1 nonalcoholic beverage or 1 breakfast entree + beverage (excluding tax & tip) for these meals and it was $521.08, or just slightly $20 cheaper than 9/9/9 credits I would have had under the DDP.
In addition, I had $245.94 in food expenses not covered by the DDP, including appetizers, alcohol, Tea @ Grand Floridian, Lunch at AMC Fork & Screen, and Spice Road Table. My worst value towards the dining plan was California Grill- it would have cost me 2 table service credits, but since I only ordered Sushi, I counted 1 sushi order towards the DDP as an entree and the remainder OOP, leading to $50 in OOP costs for that meal.
To contrast, items not covered by TiW included some snacks, some CS meals, Lunch at AMC Fork & Screen, and Spice Road Table. Food items not covered by TiW totaled $124.52.
Based on how I ate on this trip, TiW was the clear winner. I was able to get more TS for less money than if I had paid for the DDP, and more of my food choices were eligible for TiW discount than DDP. This was not a free dining period, so I don't know how DDP +OOP at rack rate would have compared with room-only discount + TiW.
If there's anything wrong with these calculations, please let me know.
& had some appetizers for my meal!So here it is: a list of the best (and worst) of my 10 day Disney dining experience
Best Character Meal: Tusker House Breakfast
The food was amazing and had so many interesting choices, the restaurant theme was well done, my server did a fantastic job of making sure I had pictures with all the characters, and all you can drink Jungle Juice.
Best Atmosphere/View: Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast
Dining in the castle- with a view right at the windows overlooking the carousel & Fantasyland- made this meal even more special. I loved the wands/swords and wishing stars which really added to the atmosphere. But I am just a kid at heart.
Best Pixie Dust: California Grill
Literal Pixie Dust in the form of Mickey confetti, my fellow diners paying for my wine, and complementary creme bruelee- California Grill tops the list for celebrating such an important milestone.
Most Attractive Waitstaff: Via Napoli
Yes, the food was delicious, but the servers... ooh la la!
Most Fun: Hoop De Doo Review
This was such a fun show- I don't know how else to even describe it but just rolickin' good fun. If you've never done this, you should seriously consider it.
Most Overrated: Be Our Guest
Sorry Be Our Guest. I want to love you. I keep trying, but it's just not happening. I just want a combination of good food and good service to match your creative decor. Is that too much to ask?
Best Breakfast: Sleepy Hollow Nutella & Fruit Waffle Sandwich
Up until this trip, I would have claimed Kona Cafe as the best breakfast, but after eating this treat, there's a new best breakfast for me. The combination of price, quality, and portion size make this a clear winner.
Best Lunch: Landscapes of Flavor make your own pasta bowl
Landscapes of Flavor at Art of Animation continues to be the best of the Value Resort food courts, and the make your own pasta bowl was the best of the best this trip. Again, a combination of price, quality and portion size make this rise to the top.
Best New Snack: Artisans de Glace, EPCOT France
My beloved Dole Whip has some tough competition. While I would still rank the Dole Whip as the very best snack, the options at Artisans de Glace make it a much more competitive race. Both my ice cream cone, and my sorbet assortment at Chefs de France which I believe came from Artisans de Glace were perfection.
Best Dinner: Victoria & Albert's
There's not even a distant second place. V&A's was the best meal I've ever eaten- bar none.
So there it is. The end of the dining report. Thank you again for joining, reading, and commenting. Join me soon for my next dining report: The Food is strong with these ones: a Star Wars Weekend Dining report.
I agree, I think the tea sounds like a nice relaxing afternoon for tea. I'm not an eater of chicken salad, egg salad, etc, but I think I read in another TR about a pear & cheese sandwich. That's more up my alley. That's a total bummer that your boss called you on vacation, I think I wouldn't want to know until I got home as I'd start worrying about it on vacation. So sooty you hurt your knee! Our vacation in 2011 was the 1st one I had been on in 9 yrs due to health problems & I fell on day 2 or 3 at HS & sprained my ankle. It was so depressing & heartbreaking, we went back to hotel to ice all night & iced almost the whole next day. I love your pixie dust at CG!
! I love my Disney bubble, Id hate for someone to burst it. You sound like a very positive person though with getting these calls & you're knee problem, that's awesome 
!
